LIVERPOOL, England (Reuters) -Keir Starmer, the leader of Britain’s opposition Labour Party, was covered in glitter by a shouting protester who stormed the stage just before he began his speech to his party’s annual conference.
After scuffling briefly with the man who was removed by security officials, Starmer removed his jacket, rolled up his sleeves and addressed the conference.
“If he thinks that bothers me, he doesn’t know me,” Starmer said to cheers before beginning his speech on Tuesday.
Local police later said a 28-year old man had been arrested on suspicion of assault, breach of the peace and causing public nuisance following the incident.
A protest group named “People Demand Democracy” said it was behind the incident. The group campaigns for democratic reform and said in a statement it would use civil disobedience to promote its message.
As he threw glitter on Starmer, the protester had shouted: “True democracy is citizen led. Politics needs an update … We are in crisis, we are in crisis, our whole future is in jeopardy.”
(Reporting by Alistair Smout, Andrew MacAskill and Farouq Suleiman, writing by Sarah Young and William James)
